1. Invention Field
The present invention relates to flow or timer valves, and more particularly to a timer valve configured such that the opening or closing movement of the valve is produced by the reactive force of a fluid in conjunction with the closure means for the valve.
The present invention as configured utilizes the flow of the fluid passing through the valve as the motive force for actuating the valve, the valve operation dependent upon the amount of flow passing through the valve.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is primarily designed for use as a timed watering system for lawns, gardens, and the like, providing a reliable and cost effective, easily implemented way for automatically dispensing a pre-determined amount of water on the area to be watered, with the valve shutting off the flow automatically once the desired amount of water has flowed through the valve.
The present system can also be installed directly into the water system by municipal authorities or the like as a means of controlling the use of water and preventing waste of same. This utilization is particularly desirable in areas with scarce or uncertain fresh water resources, such as the western states California, Arizona, and the like. This use would provide a tamper-proof system for regulating the amount of water utilized for non-essential activities such as caring for the lawn, washing the car, and the like. In such a use, the valve would be installed between the outdoor faucets and the main line, and would be set to provide for the maximum allowed water usage for discretionary activities for the month. Upon reaching that maximum amount, flow to outdoor faucets would cease, and could not be re-initiated until the end of the month, when the meter is read and the valve re-set.
This design may also be utilized in a reverse flow configuration, wherein the backflow pressure initiates closure of the valve, allowing for automated filling of tanks, or preventing damage to equipment to excessive pressure or lack of adequate flow.
Another embodiment of the present invention teaches the utilization of a permeable membrane situated in a metering chamber, for allowing the passage of a predetermined amount of liquid in a solution through the valve, the valve closure actuated upon having sampled a predetermined amount of said liquid
2. General Background Discussion
While the prior art has contemplated a variety of configurations of flow controlled valves, the inventor does not know of any timer valve systems utilizing as its actuation means the flow of fluid therethrough as contemplated in the present invention, while providing the reliability, low maintenance and relative cost effectiveness of the present invention.
A list of prior patents which may be of interest is presented below:
______________________________________ Patent Number Inventor Date of Issue ______________________________________ 4,182,371 Moore Jan 08, 1980 3,972,344 Chauvigne Aug 03, 1976 3,806,084 Seese Apr 23, 1974 3,722,526 Henningsson Mar 27, 1973 3,583,440 Anderson Jun 08, 1971 3,089,651 Skerritt May 14, 1963 2,549,909 Joynes Apr 24, 1951 2,323,341 McGill Jul 06, 1943 2,057,333 Guibert Oct 13, 1936 1,180,000 Bloom Apr 18, 1916 783,671 Bloom Feb 28, 1905 177,095 Clark May 09, 1876 ______________________________________
Perhaps one of the more relevant inventions teaching a timed valve system, although admittedly in a wholly distinguishable mechanism, is 4,182,371 issued 1980, and entitled "Automatic Liquid Flow Control Device", wherein there is utilized a flow sampling technique generally similar to that contemplated in the present invention, to provide a timed actuation means for closing the system after a predetermined period. In fact, the '371 reference discusses in detail its application as an irrigation valve, recognizing the same problems referenced by you in your recitation of the present, searched for invention. The timer mechanism of '371 relies upon what appears to be a bladder system configured to block the flow over time as it was filled with the backflow.
Patent 3,089,651, issued 1963, teaches a "Lawn Sprinkler with Timed Automatic Shutoff", wherein there is also provided for a flow sampling technique in timing the flow, where the backflow is accumulated in a chamber (113), filling it to force a diaphragm (116), upward from an open to a closed position.
Patent 3,972,344,issued 1976, may comprise the most relevant patent found during the course of the search, teaching a "Valve for Water Sprinklers and the Like", wherein there is taught a valve having a "dosing chamber" configured for allowing a flow of a fraction of the liquid thereto, and a member in said chamber "movable from a first position to a second position in response to delivery into the dosing chamber in response to delivery of a given quantity of liquid".
While the prior patents above have contemplated some very general aspects of the present invention, the prior art has nonetheless failed to contemplate a system for timed or automatic dispensing of fluid flow in a straightforward, rugged, cost effective system.